Prefabricated infant rearing implement



1970 YOSHIO UNNO 3,544,125

PREFAERICATED INFANT HEARING IMPLEMENT Filed Aug. 16, 1968 3 SheetsS'neet 1 FIG.1 F162" vosmo UNNO,

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Dec. 1, 1970 YQSHIO UNNO PREFABRICATED INFANT BEARING IMPLEMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 16, 1968 I FIG.14"

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Bwmmm-PM United States Patent Office 3,544,125 Patented Dec. 1, 1970 3,544,125 PREFABRICATED INFANT REARING IMPLEMENT Yoshio Unno, 9-18 Higashinakano 4-chome, Nakano-ku, Tokyo, Japan Filed Aug. 16, 1968, Ser. No. 753,086 Claims priority, application Japan, Sept. 6, 1967, 42/ 56,795 Int. Cl. B62b 7/12 US. Cl. 280-31 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A prefabricated infant rearing implement is disclosed which comprises a pair of side frames each consisting of a semi-circular curved tube integrally jointed at its both ends to a straight tube or a straight rod, a plurality of coupling tubes which may fit at their both ends into side holes provided in each curved tube of said pair of side frames, a plurality of coupling rods which may extend through said coupling tube and said side holes in said side frames and which may be detachably secured at their both ends to said side holes, a flat plate having a width substantially equal to the length of said coupling tube, a plurality of curved rods provided with sleeves at their both ends which may fit around said coupling tube, and a smaller plate piece which may be bridged between said curved rods.

The present invention relates to an infant rearing implement, more particularly to improvements in an infant rearing implement which may be assembled into various configurations for different uses.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is the provision of an improved infant rearing implement which may be composed of a relatively few kinds of component members and which may be easily assembled or disassembled.

Another principal object of the present invention is the provision of an improved infant rearing implement which may be assembled into various configurations for different uses according to the necessity by selectively making use of all or a part of said component members.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved infant rearing implement which is adapted to be disassembled into said component memcenter of said curved tubes, then inserting the coupling rods which extend through said coupling tubes and the side holes in the curved tubes to integrally connecting said side frames and said coupling tubes, and placing the assembly upside down with the ends of the curved tubes laid on a floor or on the ground. Alternatively, an exercise semi-circular bridge may be formed by fitting the ends of the coupling tubes respectively into all the side holes in said curved tubes and connecting them integrally by means of the coupling rods.

Furthermore, upon forming said exercise semi-circular bridge, by clamping said flat plate between the both side frames in a position adjacent to said pair of coupling tubes fitted into the side holes at the ends of the curved tubes and placing the assembly down on its side, a play pen may be formed. In addition, by placing said exercise semi-circular bridge with its flat edges directed upwardly and clamping said flat plate between the both side frames in a position riding on another pair of coupling tubes fitted into the side holes located near to the side holes at the ends of the curved tubes, a rocking bed may be formed, and also if some legs are projected so as to prevent the rocking motion of said rocking bed, a fixed infant bed may be formed.

Still further, if the flat plate in said rocking bed is changed in position so as to be clamped between the both slde frames in a position far lower than the first position, the sleeves provided at the ends of said curved rods being respectively fitted around two pairs of coupling tubes located above said flat plate, and the smaller plate pieces are bridged between said curved rods, then a seesaw may be formed.

As described, the prefabricated infant rearing implement according to the present invention may be easily assembled into various configurations for different uses by selectively employing all or a part of component members of said implement in any suitable combination. Furbers having a small volume and thus conveniently transends into side holes provided in each curved tube of said pair of side frames, a plurality of coupling rods which may extend through said coupling tube and said side holes in said side frames and which may be detachably secured at their both ends to said side holes, a flat plate having a width substantially equal to the length of said coupling tube, a plurality of curved rods provided with sleeves at their both ends which may fit around said coupling tube, and a smaller plate piece which may be bridged between said curved rods.

As the infant rearing implement according to the present invention comprises the above-described component members, an exercise bar may be formed through the steps of fitting both ends of a pair of coupling tubes re spectively into the side holes located at the ends of the curved tubes of the pair of side frames and also fitting the ends of another coupling tube into the side holes at the thermore, when the infant rearing implement is not in use, it may be disassembled into said respective component members which may be packed as a whole in a compact manner, and thus it may be easily and convemently transported or stored.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the various embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view, partly in longitudinal crosssection of a side frame,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a coupling tube,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a coupling rod,

FIG. 4 1s a plan view, partly in longitudinal cross :ficbuon, of another coupling tube provided with branch FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a curved rod,

. FIG. 6 is a partial longitudinal cross-section view show- 1ng the state in which a leg attachment is mounted to the branch tube of the coupling tube in FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a partial longitudinal cross-section View showing the state in which a bumper rubber piece is molmted to the end of the curved tube of said side frame,

FIG. 8 is a decomposed partial longitudinal cross-section view of the end of the curved tube of said side frame in case that a mosquito net supporting rod is mounted to that end,

FIG. 9 is a partial front view, partially in longitudinal cross-section, showing the state in which a castor is mounted to the end of the curved tube of said side frame,

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the component members of the infant rearing implement according to the present invention when they are decomposed and arrayed on a plane,

FIGS. 11 through 18 are'perspective views showing various assembled configurations of the infant rearing implement according to the present invention, FIG. 11 showing an -assembledlaed, FIG. 12 showing an assembled rocking bed, FIG. 13 showing an assembled seesaw, FIG. 14 showing an assembled handcart, FIG. 15 showing an assembled play pen, FIG. 16 showing an assembled exer-' cise semi-circular bridge, FIG. 17 showing an assembled slide, and FIG. 18 showing an assembled exercise bar,

FIG. 19 is a longitudinal cross-sectionside viewshowing the statein'which the curved rod is mounted to the side frame and the coupling tube, and

FIG. 20 is a partial longitudinal cross-section view showing the state in which the side frames are connected by means of the coupling provided with branch tubes.

Now making description of the present invention with reference to the various embodiments illustrated in the drawings, an arched side frame forming a pair with another same frame is shown at 1, in which the proximities of the both free ends of a semi-circular curved tube 1a are integrally jointed by means of a straight tube 1b, and along the curved tube 1a are provided eleven pairs 10 of side holes aligning at a right angle to the direction of the axial line of the curved tube, the inside side hole 1c of the side holes 10 being larger in diameter than the outside side hole 10''. (See FIGS. 1, 19 and 20.)

One of nine coupling tubes for connecting said pair of side frames 1 is shown at 2, which is formed sothat its both ends may be detacha'bly fitted into the inside side holes 1c provided in the curved tubes 1a of the side frames 1. (See FIGS. 2 and 19.)

One of four coupling rods is shown at 3, which is longer than said coupling tube 2 and may extend through within the latter, and also the both threaded end portions of which are formed to extend through the inside side hole 1c as well as the outside side hole 1c having a larger diameter than the former provided in said side frame 1 and adapted to have nuts 3a threadedly engaged therewith. (See FIGS. 3 and 19.) g

One of a pair of other coupling tubes is shown at 4, in which at the proximities of the ends of a main tube 4a having the same length and the same diameter as said first coupling tube 2, are integrally jointed branch tubes 4b at a right angle thereto, and the main tube 4a'of this coupling tube 4 is adapted to have the coupling rod 3 extended therethrough as in the case of said first coupling tube 2. (See FIGS. 4 and 20.)

A rectangular fiat plate is shown at 5, which is formed to have alength somewhat larger than the straight tube 1b of said side frame 1 and a width slightly larger than the length of the respective coupling tubes 2 and 4 so that upon tightening the both side frames 1 by means of the coupling rods 3 the opposite side edges of the flat plate may be resiliently tightened by the both side frames 1 to be fixedly secured in a desired position. (See FIGS. to and 17.) p

One of four curved rods is shown at 6, which is formed in a V-shape having a slant rod portion 6b bent from the tip of a horizontal rod portion 6a, and at the free ends of said respective rod portions 6a and 6b are secured, as by welding, small size of sleeves 60 respectively, the distance between the respective sleeves 60 being designed to conform to the interval between the adjacent side holes 10 along the axial line of said side frame 1. In addition, across the sleeve 60 at the end of said horizontal rod portion 6a and a point on the slant rod portion 6b is jointed, as by welding, an L-shaped rod portion 6d. A smaller rectangular plate piece 7 having a length equal to the width of said flat plate 5 is adapted to be bridged across the curved rods 6 opposing sidewisely of a pair of side frames 1 between the horizontal rod portion 6a and the horizontal section of the L-shaped rod portion 6d, and when it is bridged the edges of the width of said smaller plate piece 7 is adapted to be supported by the vertical section 4 of the L-shaped rod portion 6d.'(See FIGS. 5, 13 and 14.)

A leg attachment provided with a bumper rubber piece 8a at its extremity is shown at 8, which may be detachably fitted into the branch tube 4b of said second coupling tube 4. (See FIG. 6.)

At the free end portion of the curved tube 1a of said side frame 1 is fitted a plug member 1d having a threaded bore 1e at its center, and into this threaded bore 12 may be threadedly engaged a screw rod 9a having a bumper rubber piece 9 attached thereto (FIG. 7), or a mounting member 10 having a central axial rod 10a for a mosquito net supporting rod 11 (FIG. 8), or a supporting axle 12a of a castor 12 (FIG. 9), according to the necessity.

FIG. 11 shows an assembled infant bed. Among the inside side holes 1c in the curved tubes 1a of said side frames 1, into the fourth inside side holes 10' counting 'from the ends of the curved tubes 1a, are respectively fitted the both ends of the main tubes 4a of said branched coupling tubes 4, and into the remaining inside side holes 10' are respectively fitted the both ends of said coupling tubes 2. A coupling rod 3 is inserted so as to extend through the outside side holes 10" and the inside side holes 10' of said curved tubes 1a and the coupling tube 2 or 4, and nuts 3a are threadedly mated to the both threaded end portions of said coupling rod 3 projecting outside of the respective side frames 1. With said both arched side frames 1 upset and with said flat plate 5 bridged across the second coupling tubes 2 counting from the ends of the respective curved tubes 1a of the both side frames 1, the nuts 3a on said coupling rods 3 are tightened so as to resiliently compress the flat plate having a larger width than the length of the coupling tubes 2 and 4 between the both side frames for fixedly positioning branched coupling tubes 4 are directed downwardly and fitted with leg attachments 8 therein. Then an infant bed has been assembled using the curve tubes 1a as a bed frame, the straight tubes 1b as an encircling frame, and the flat plate 5 as a supporting bed ,--as illustrated in FIG. 11.

In this assembly, if the mounting member 10 for a mosquito net supporting rod is threadedly engaged into the threaded bore 1e of the plug member 1d fitted into each end of the curved tubes 1a of said side frame 1, the lower ends 11a of the mosquito net supporting rods 11 branched into four at their top being inserted into the axial bores 10a of the mounting members 10 for said mosquito net supporting rods, and a mosquito net (not shown) is covered on said mosquito net supporting rods 11, then the bed may be converted to an infant bed with a mosquito net.

,In addition, in the infant bed illustrated in FIG. 11, around the coupling tubes 2 supporting said flat plate 5 as well as the other coupling tubes 2 located beneath and next to said first coupling tubes 2, are respectively fitted the sleeves 6a of said curved rods 6 so as to support said flat plate 5 by means of the horizontal rod portions 6a of said curved rods 6 and the coupling rods 2 located at the second position from the ends of the curved tubes 1a, and also the leg attachments 8 are removed from the branch tubes 4b of said branched cou pling tubes 4 and said branch tubes 4b are turned in the tangential direction of the curved tubes 1a. Then a rocking bed as illustrated in FIG. 12 has been assembled, which may rock on the floor due to the curved tubes 1:: contacting the floor.

Furthermore, in the rocking bed illustrated in FIG. 12, if the fiat plate 5 is placed on the fourth coupling tubes 2 from the ends of the curved tubes 1a in said side frame 1, and the smaller plate pieces 7 are placed between the respective L-shaped rod portions 6d of said both curved rods 6, then a seesaw will be assembled using said smaller plate pieces 7 as seats and said flat plate 5 as abase for placing feet. (See FIG. 13.)

Still further, in the seesaw illustrated in FIG. 13, the second coupling tube 2 counting from the center of said curved tube 1a as Well as the branched coupling tube 4 adjacent to the former are respectively removed, supporting axles 12a of castors 12 are threadedly engaged into the respective threaded bores 1e of the plug members 1d fitted in the end portions of said curved tubes 1a, said side frames 1 are upset with said castors 12 placed on the floor, said flat plate 5 is bridged across the coupling tubes 2 in the proximities of the ends of said curved tubes 1a, the smaller plate piece is placed on the curved rods 6 only on the side of the removed coupling tube 2, and the branch tubes 4b of the remaining branched coupling tube 4 are directed outwardly and fitted with leg attachments 8 therein. Then a handcart simulating an automobile has been assembled using said smaller plate piece 7 as a seat, the flat plate 5 as a base for placing feet, and the leg attachments 8 as pushing handles. In this case, since the adjacent coupling rods 2 and 4 are removed in the space between the both side frames 1 above the small plate pieces 7 serving as the seat, thus formed vacant space between the side frames allows an infant to get on or off the handcart, and also it allows the upper half body of the sitting infant to project outwardly without obstacles. (See FIG. 14.)

Next, if said handcart illustrated in FIG. 14 is placed down on its side, said removed coupling tube 2 and branched coupling tube 4 are again mounted to the curved tubes 1a of said side frames, while said curved rods 6, smaller plate piece 7, leg attachments 8 and castors 12 are removed, and the branch tubes 4b of said branched coupling tubes 4 are directed in the tangential direction of the curved tube In then a play pen encircled by the side frames 1, the coupling tubes 2, 4 and the flat plate 5 as illustrated in FIG. 15 may be assembled.

Still further, if the play pen illustrated in FIG. 15 is again caused to stand up vertically on the floor with the ends of the curved tubes 1a of the side frames 1 abutted to the floor, and if said flat plate 5 is removed, then an exercise semi-circular bridge as illustrated in FIG. 16 may be formed.

In addition, in the exercise semi-circular bridge illustrated in FIG. 16, if the second through seventh coupling tubes 2 and 4 counting from one end of the curved tube 111 are removed, and if the fiat plate 5 is placed obliquely across the first coupling rod 2 and the remaining branched coupling rod 4, then a slope as illustrated in FIG. 17 may be assembled. While, if only the coupling tubes 2 at the both ends of the curved tube 1a and at the sixth position remain and the other coupling tubes 2 and the branched coupling tubes 4 are removed, then an exercise bar as illustrated in FIG. 18 may be assembled.

In these illustrated embodiments of the present invention, various infant rearing implements and playing implements as described above may be quite simply and easily assembled by means of one set of component members of a few kinds, and also upon disassembly the component members may be arrayed compactly on a plane as illustrated in FIG. 10, so that they may be conveniently transported or stored.

While the present invention has been described above in connection to its preferred embodiments, it is a matter of course that the present invention should not be limited to only these embodiments and various changes in design could be made within the scope of the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A prefabricated infant rearing implement having variously interchangeable parts comprising a pair of frames, each of said frames comprising a semicircular curved tube having a plurality of holes spaced therealong and a tube or rod joining the terminal ends of said semi-circular curved tube; a plurality of threaded rods adapted to extend through said holes of said frames; a plurality of coupling tubes adapted to fit over said threaded rods and space said frames; a flat plate having a width substantially equal to the length of said coupling tubes and adapted to be positioned on various of said coupling tubes; a plurality of curved rods, the legs of which are provided with sleeves adapted to fit over said coupling tubes; and at least one plate piece adapted to be bridged between said curved rods.

2. An implement as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of modified coupling tubes having perpendicular legs thereon adapted to fit over said threaded rods.

3. An implement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said holes comprise a first plurality of openings having a diameter smaller than the diameter of said coupling tubes and a second plurality of openings greater than said diameter of said coupling tubes.

4. An implement as claimed in claim 1, further comprising plugs having threaded bores therethrough and adapted to fit into the ends of said semi-circular curved Ill es.

5. An implement as claimed in claim 4 further comprising mosquito net supporting rods, said supporting rods adapted to be screwed into said threaded bores.

6. An implement as claimed in claim 4, further comprising castors having supporting axles, said axles adapted to be screwed into said threaded bores.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,345,322 6/1920 Foans 280-30 1,441,940 1/ 1923 Nate 27256 1,911,572 5/ 1933 Hulander et al. 2725 8 2,475,289 6/ 1949 MacGregor 2725 8 2,768,828 10/ 1956 Pack 27256 3,044,773 7/ 1962 Cox 27256 3,261,605 7/1966 Smith 27256 D. 184,535 3/1959 Polhemus D345 FOREIGN PATENTS 228,240 1/ 1925 Great Britain.

OTHER REFERENCES Popular Mechanics, vol. III, No. 6, June 1959, p. 108. Popular Mechanics, vol. III, No. 6, June 1959, p. 129.

LEO FRIAGLIA, Primary Examiner L. J. PAPERNER, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

